Mr Little was joined by Larkmead teacher Mary Stevens, who set up a petition last month in response to Education Secretary Michael Gove’s reported call to remove some American novels from the national curriculum in favour of a greater focus on English literature classics.

The meeting was part of the NUT’s Stand Up for Education campaign, which focuses on issues such as workload and curriculum changes.

Miss Blackwood said yesterday: “Teachers work incredibly hard to give our children the best possible future regardless of their background and I believe that today our teachers are better than they have ever been.

“I really appreciated the opportunity to meet some of our local teachers to discuss their concerns about education and the challenges facing some of their students.